Love Triangle at the DWMA
by SiaLynn
Summary: After a brush with death Maka finds herself in the middle of a love triangle that goes horribly wrong when an old enemy gets up close and personal.
1. Chapter 1

Soul fell from Maka's grip and watched in horror as the beast gripped her body in its giant claws and slammed her against the wall.

"Maka!" He screamed as he transformed from scythe to human. Rapid blasts of compressed soul wavelength began driving the beast back. It roared and threw Maka to the ground. She bounced off the stone and lay motionless.

"Soul, get Maka!" Kid said. "I've got this."

"You mean we've got this," Liz corrected. Soul ran to his meister, grabbing her by the shoulders.

"Maka! Maka, wake up! Come on," He shouted, shaking her. "Please, you have to wake up!" He wrapped his arms around her limp body, pulling her closer. She felt cold, her chest barely moved when she breathed.

"I can't hold this thing off for much longer," Kid called.

"Maka, please," Soul whispered, so only she could hear. "I don't know what I'll do without you. You're my meister, Maka. I need you. Please wake up."

"We have to go, Soul!" Kid yelled. Soul couldn't feel Maka's chest moving anymore, her hair was plastered with blood

"Damn it, Maka!" Soul screamed. "It's totally not cool of you to make a cool guy like me watch you die!" Her chest suddenly heaved and she tried to roll out of Soul's arms, coughing up blood.

"Good, you're back," he said with a weak smile.

"Soul.." she breathed.

"Hang on to me, Maka. I'll get you out of here," Soul lifted her up and she clung to his neck. "Kid, cover us!" Kid held back the beast as they made their retreat. Soul escaped with Maka fading in and out of consciousness, and Kid soon caught up with Liz and Patty at his heels.

"Come on, we can't stop running yet," Kid panted. "He's following us." Soul grunted and readjusted his grip on Maka. She was thin, but taller than Soul and difficult to carry.

"This way!" Liz took a sharp turn down a dark alley. She kicked in the first door they came to and pulled everyone inside. She shut the door and leaned her back against it, raising a finger to her lips. They heard the beast go thundering by. They all froze as it paused outside the door, sniffing around. The thing snorted and moved on.

"I think we're safe for now," Liz said. Patty laughed nervously and her sister's hand quickly covered her mouth. Kid's worried eyes were locked on Maka. Soul leaned over her, trying to wipe the blood away from her eyes.

"Maka, can you hear me?" He asked quietly. She didn't respond. Her breaths were ragged. Kid crouched down next to them. He reached towards Maka and Soul bared his pointed teeth.

"Back off," he snarled.

"Let me," Kid said with a sad kindness in his voice. Soul relaxed and nodded. Kid touched Maka's heart then recoiled like he'd been bitten.

"What? What is it?" Soul asked frantically.

"I don't understand," Kid whispered, eyes wide. "She should be dead."

"What the hell do you mean she should be dead?" Soul demanded.

"I'm a reaper, I have some extra senses when it comes to death. Maka should be dead, but she isn't. I don't understand it."

"Shh!" Liz hissed. There was a noise outside. The students froze again, too afraid to even breathe.

"Quit blocking the door, Liz. I'm trying to come inside."

"Professor Stein!" The gray haired professor bent down under the doorway to enter. He looked down at Maka and frowned. "Her body has given up, but her soul fights on."

"Please, professor," Soul looked up at Stein, blinking away tears. "Is she going to be okay? I need her to be okay!" Stein said nothing. He only knelt down and took Maka away from Soul.

"Come on, students. It's time to go back to the academy."

"What about the beast? That ugly scary thing is still out there!" Liz protested.

"The situation is being handled." Stein said simply. "Now lets go."

* * *

Soul paced up and down the hallway outside the infirmary. He let out a scream and drove his fist through the dry wall before collapsing to the floor with his head in his hands. Kid stood nearby, watching. He didn't even mention how the hole ruined the symmetry of the hall. Soul tossed his headband aside and ran his hands through his hair, over and over. He looked at the infirmary door, back to his own hands, and to the door again.

"Damn it, just be still!" Kid snapped at him. Soul responded with a look so lethal it could kill Lord Death himself.

"Maka is in there," Soul said, his voice pained. "Maka is in there and she might not come out, and it's my fault. SO DON'T FUCKING TELL ME TO BE STILL!"

"You're not the only one who loves her!" Kid shouted back. Soul stood and walked over until he was only inches from Kid's face.

"I would kill you right now, but I'm a lot more worried about her survival than your stupid little crush. You don't love Maka. You don't know what it is to love her. If, no, _when_ she walks out of there, you're going to stay away from her. Do you understand me?"

"Maka is not your possession, Soul. It is not up to you to decide who she spends her time with."

"She's my meister, and I'm supposed to protect her!"

Suddenly Stein's long shadow was bearing over them. He stood outside the door, twisting his screw as blood dried on his coat.

"How is she? Is she going to be okay?" Soul scrambled to pick up his headband and compose himself.

"She'll probably be okay," Stein eyed the new whole in the wall, and Soul's scraped fist. "She isn't awake, but you can go see her. Just, don't punch anything." Soul sprinted inside. Kid hesitated for a moment.

"Probably?" He asked. Stein nodded.

"Her body was.. She should have died in that alley. When her body was beaten beyond its limits her soul fought on."

"I sensed that before. I don't know how she held on for so long."

"It's extremely rare, but possible. Souls can hang on when there is something worth fighting for, be it love or hatred," Stein explained. Kid nodded and stepped into the infirmary. Soul knelt next to her bed, holding her hand to his forehead.

"I'm so sorry, Maka. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you." He whispered. Kid stood at the end of the bed, looking over her. She was bruised, battered, and bandaged. Soul let out a heavy sigh.

"I'm a mess," he said with a forced laugh. "So uncool." He rubbed at his eyes and fixed his headband. He stroked Maka's hair and sighed again. "I'll come visit you again soon, Maka. I'll bring books next time, so you'd better be awake when I come back." He shoved his hands into his pockets and sauntered away. Kid didn't understand how Soul could so casually walk away while Maka was lying there in a coma. Kid carefully smoothed the wrinkles out of her sheets. Wrinkles were never symmetrical. He thought Maka would appreciate smooth sheets.

"I should have gotten there sooner," Kid said. "If I had been there, I could have prevented this. If you wake up, I'll tell you everything. I swear I will."

"Maka!" Tsubaki came running in, for the first time entering a room before Black Star. "Oh, my god." Tsubaki hovered over her friend, desperately wanting to touch her but too afraid to.

"Come on, Maka!" Black Star held no such fears. He began to shake Maka and shout at her. "Wake up! You're stealing my show! I'm supposed to be the center of attention!" Kid grabbed Black Star by the belt and threw him out into the hall. He looked back at Tsubaki an exchanged a morose glance. He thought that perhaps she understood how he felt.

"This must be so hard on Soul," Tsubaki mused. "He might not admit it, but I know how he feels about her."

"Oh, right. Poor Soul," Kid muttered and left the infirmary feeling more than ever like he really didn't belong.


	2. Chapter 2

Soul spent every day at Maka's bedside. He would have spent the nights there too, but Professor Stein wouldn't allow it.

"How is she doing?" Kid stood in the doorway, staring down at Maka.

"She's been in here a whole week and you haven visited once. What was that you said about loving her?" Soul sneered. Kid didn't reply. "You would think someone who really cared about her would be by her side through hard times."

"I've been trying to come to terms with Maka's possible death."

"She's going to wake up!" Soul shouted. Kid raised both eyebrows. Raising one would have been more appropriate to the emotion he was expressing but that would of course been unsymmetrical.

"Your denial is actually impressive, but you should come to terms with reality. Maka might die. If she doesn't die, she might not wake up. If she does wake up, her body and mind could remain severely damaged for the rest of her life. The chances of her coming out of this are slim."

"Just shut the hell up!" Soul raged.

"Quiet!" Kid shushed urgently.

"Don't tell me what to do you asymmetrical idiot!"

"Be quiet and look!" Kid whispered angrily. He pointed to Maka. Her fists were clenched around the sheets and her face bore an expression of agony.

"Maka?" Soul spoke softly now as he worried over her. "Can you hear me? Is she waking up?"

"I think she was reacting to your shouting. Her body and mind may be comatose, but her soul is still active," Kid stepped closer, placing a careful hand on her pale cheek. Soul gave Kid's ring a nasty glare, but didn't say anything. Kid leaned down and whispered something in Maka's ear, quietly enough that Soul couldn't hear.

"What was that? What did you say?" Soul asked. Kid only shook his head and left.

"How is she doing?" Liz began interrogating Kid the moment he stepped through the door. "Is she awake? Is she any better? Will she be okay?" Kid didn't say a word. He ignored Liz's probing questions and didn't even notice the unevenly burnt candles on his way to his room.

"Oh, no.." Liz said as he walked past the paintings she'd tilted earlier.

Tsubaki brought more books for Maka, and Black Star would always show his support in a way that ended with him being thrown out of the infirmary. Kid came in from time to time but he could never bear to stay long, and Soul couldn't bear to leave. Patty gave Maka one of her favorite giraffes, and Liz would fix her hair and talk to her about all the latest gossip. There was only one person who never visited.

Maka's eyes flew open and she found herself gasping for air. She snapped up, instinctively reaching up to where Soul would always be as a scythe when she needed him, landing perfectly in her hand.

"Maka?" Soul was confused, slowly waking up in the chair next to her bed. "Oh my god, Maka! It's okay, it's okay Maka. Calm down, I'm here." He held her arms as she regained control of her breathing and took in her surroundings.

"How long?" She wanted to know. "How long have I been out?"

"Nearly a month. How do you feel? Maybe you should lay back down."

"I've been laying down for a month! I think I've had enough of lying down," Maka threw her bedsheets aside and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She looked down at them for a moment; they looked so thin and frail.

_Well, appearances can be deceiving!_ Maka thought. Kid arrived just in time to see her leap to her feet. Her knees promptly gave out beneath her and she let out a small squeak of surprise as she fell. Soul moved to catch her but he wasn't as quick as the young reaper.

"Hey, I don't need help," Maka insisted as Kid helped her up.

"Maka you should really lay down," Soul said again. She stuck her tongue out at him.

"I'm fine!" She went to stand up again and Soul begrudgingly allowed it. Kid held out a hand to steady her.

"May I?" He asked.

"Thanks, Kid," she said, taking it. She stood carefully on her shakey legs. She turned back to Soul with a weak, but genuine smile.

"See, Soul? I told you I was alright. So I can go home now, right?"

"Soon," Kid said before Soul could reply. "I think I should tell Stein you're awake first." Maka sat back on the bed and watched Kid leave.

"He only visited you three times. I was here every day. I missed all my classes to stay with you!" Soul told her proudly.

"I don't care," Maka said flatly.

"What?" Soul was confused. In a matter of minutes she'd gone from panicked, to angry, to elated and now she didn't seem to be experiencing any emotions at all. "Maka, are you okay?" Her forehead was scrunched up in deep thought. "Maka?"

"I remember," she began.

"Ah, you're awake. How do you feel?" Stein arrived with Spirit cloning to his coattails.

"My Maka is okay!" Spirit cried out. "Oh, Maka, I'm so happy! I was so worried, I was visiting you constantly! All the time, every day! I-"

"No you didn't," Soul shook his head. "You only came once, and it was because Stein made you." Spirit was shamed into silence, and he slowly inched out of the room as Maka's icy glare bore into his soul. After a short examination and a lot of begging from Maka and Soul, Stein allowed her to go home with one condition.

"Rest. You _need_ to rest.. Both of you."

* * *

"You visited me every day but you didn't record my favorite show?" Maka pouted. "A month, I'm a whole month behind on the only tv show I even watch!"

"I don't get why it's such a big deal. It's just a stupid sh-" His sentence was abruptly ended by a book slamming into the top of his head. "Seriously how can you hit me so hard you were comatose a few hours ago you freak AGH!"

"I haven't even been awake for a day and you're already a jerk," Maka muttered. She went to mope at the kitchen table, tracing lines on the wood with the tip of her finger.

_I remember what he said when I got hurt._ She thought. _He said that he needed me. He said that he didn't know what he would do without me. _Her thoughts were interrupted by a knocking at the door. She went to get up but Soul was already at the door. She heard him open it, and then immediately slam it shut.

"It's no one," Soul said.

"Um.. Hello?" Kid's voice came softly through the door.

"Oh, right, it's no one," Maka said sarcastically as she went to the door. "Hey, Kid."

"I just came to see how you were doing,"

"Alright, I guess," she shrugged. Kid frowned.

"No, really, Maka. How are you?" He asked again. Her face crumpled and she fell forwards into his arms, sobbing.

"I f-feel so weak and I hate it!" She cried into his chest. Kid didn't say anything. He stepped closer to her and held her tight. Her crying slowly reduced itself to sniffling and her shaking shoulders stilled. Kid loosened his arms, expecting her to move away. Instead she wrapped her arms around him and squeezed back.

"I'm glad you came by," she whispered. He smiled and hugged her again, resting his chin on the top of her blond head. He caught sight of Soul watching them and murderously gnashing his teeth together.

"I should probably go," Kid said, detaching himself from Maka.

"Oh, yeah," she nodded and rubbed at her eyes. "Okay." Kid paused as he closed the door behind him, he quickly poked his head back inside.

"Maka Albarn, you are anything but weak."

A hooded woman stood in the alley outside of Maka's apartment, watching and waiting. She placed her hand on the wall as a tiny black snack slithered out of her sleeve and began making its way up towards the window directly above.

"I'll have my revenge on the DWMA yet," she vowed. "Starting with their prize meister."


	3. Chapter 3

"Why do I have to buy flowers for you?" Liz whined.

"I already tried, I can't do it!" Kid explained. "It's disgracefully, disgustingly asymmetrical in there."

"Fine. What kind should I get?" Kid hadn't thought of that. He wondered what kind of flowers Maka would like best.

"Just get a bouquet. Something bright and beautiful and symmetrical."

Liz came back out of the shop a half hour later in a huff. "Do you have any idea how difficult it is to find a perfectly symmetrical bouquet? They had to make a new one and it took three tries." The bouquet in her hand was a mix of pink and yellow flowers, perfectly arranged.

"Thank you Liz! This is perfect!" Kid grabbed it and took off running.

"Hey! You're gonna pay me back for that!"

He paused outside of Maka's apartment to write a note on the card in the flowers, then knocked on the door.

_Too late to go back now._ He straightened his jacket and checked his posture. The door opened a crack and Soul's red eyes peered out at him. Soul looked at Kid's hopeful and nervous expression, then at the flowers, and closed the door.

"Again?" Kid rolled his eyes. He knocked again. "Maka? Hello?"

"She isn't here," Soul replied.

"What do you mean she isn't here?"

"I mean, she got up and left about an hour ago and isn't back yet."

"She was in a coma two days ago and _you let her go out_?" Kid was shocked that even Soul, who he believed to be a fairly irresponsible person, could be so incredibly irresponsible.

"I didn't let her!" Soul yelled back. _Since when does Maka listen to me?_

_Where could she have gone?_ Kid wondered. He spent the rest of the day wandering Death City, searching for Maka. He looked for her at the academy, at Tsubaki's, even at her father's house.

"Where could she have possibly gone?" Out of the corner of his eye, Kid caught sight of a bookstore. "Oh, right." He found Maka sitting on the floor in the fiction section, piles of books around her. She looked up, surprised to see him.

"Did you find a good book?" He asked.

"Yeah," she nodded. "Only now I can't decide which one I want." Kid sat down next to her, crossing his legs and setting the now rustled and wilted flowers on the floor in front of them. He started picking up books and rearranging them. Maka watched as he sorted out the books into four piles. They were set in a square and each the same height, except for one. Kid pulled another book off of the shelf and added it to the shorter pile.

"There!" He smiled, satisfied with his little creation. Maka laughed lightly. She picked up the top book from the pile closest to her and looked over the back cover.

"This one looks interesting. It's about a different world, one without weapons or meisters. Could you imagine that?" She picked up another book. "But this one is a love story. Oh, and this one is about an underground revolution. How am I supposed to decide?" Kid didn't even mind that she was destroying his perfect piles. He quietly enjoyed watching her struggle over the books. He pulled the first one she'd pick up, and the romance novel out of her hand.

"Eenie meanie minie mo.. This one," he handed the romance novel back to her. "I didn't choose, the fates did." Maka didn't say anything for a little while, she just sat there holding the book and staring at her lap.

"I chose this book nearly an hour ago," she admitted. "But I can't get up."

"Can you walk?" She shook her head. "How do you feel about piggyback rides?"

"I haven't had one since I was little, but I can't say I'm wholly opposed to them." A few minutes later Kid was walking down the street with a girl on his back, a new book in one hand, and flowers in the other. Maka was blushing a burying her face in Kids neck to hide from anyone they might pass on the streets the entire way back to her apartment.

"Here we are," Kid announced, pushing open the door. Maka pointed to the couch and Kid carefully dropped her onto it.

"Thanks, Kid," she murmured, tired. Soul wandered out from his room, took one look at Maka's drooping eyelids and headed towards the kitchen.

"I'll make some tea,"

Maka pulled a blanket off of the floor to curl up with in the corner of the couch and Kid sat down next to her feet. In the kitchen, Soul was preparing a cup of tea just the way Maka liked it. When he turned away to put the sugar back in the cupboard, something small and quick and evil slid into her drink. He brought the tray out to Kid and Maka, stared at them on the couch for a moment then sat down on the edge of the coffee table with the tray set next to him. Kid thanked him and took a cup. Soul snorted at Kid's niceties and threw back his own cup.

"Maka, tea for you," Soul said, gently shaking her shoulder.

"I don't want any right now. Thanks, though." Soul shrugged and drank her cup of tea in one gulp. He made a weird face and coughed a bit, as if he'd swallowed something wrong. Maka fell asleep soon and Soul settled into his spot on the table. Kid shifted in his seat and avoided Soul's piercing gaze.

"Perhaps, um, perhaps I should go now," Kid stood and looked to the door.

"Yes, perhaps you should."

Kid set the flowers on the coffee table in front of Maka, rearranging them to be slightly more symmetrical and setting the note in front. He wanted it to be the first thing she saw when she woke up.

* * *

"Damn," the witch muttered. How could she have known Soul would drink Maka's tea? She would have to make some slight alterations to her plan. Maka was the one who was supposed to swallow the snake, but maybe this was even better. She could destroy the academy's favorite young meister using her own weapon.

_Yes,_ she plotted. _That will do just fine._


	4. Chapter 4

Maka woke up sneezing. There was a whole bouquet of allergy-inducing pollen right in front of her face. She picked a note out of the flowers.

_For the girl who is anything but weak_

_-Death the Kid-_

She blushed and smiled at the thoughtful gift, then sneezed again and grabbed a tissue. There was another note on the tissue box next to the flowers.

_For tiny tits.. I thought you might need these. -Soul_

"_I would so Maka-chop him if he was here right now!_" Maka thought angrily. With perfect timing he wandered out of his room with sleepy eyes and his messy morning hair and walked directly into a flying box of tissues.

"Damn it, Maka!" Soul growled, rubbing his head. "It's only 8 in the morning. Can I at least have breakfast before you start beating me up?"

"No! Wait, breakfast? It's my day for breakfast," Maka started to stand.

"No, no, no. It's fine," Soul ran into the kitchen before she could get up. "I've got it."

"Hmph!" Maka threw her blanket aside and got up anyway. "You can't trick me into lying around all day."

"Whatever," Soul replied. Their pancake mix was in the very back of the cupboard. He picked up a couple of jars that were in front of it and threw them onto the ground, sending shattered glass across the kitchen floor.

"What was that?" Maka called.

"Um, nothing. I dropped something. Don't worry about it," Soul answered. _Why did I do that?_ He started carefully scooping the shards into the trash. "Agh, fuck!" With a handful of glass his hand suddenly became a fist and tightened until the splinters were buried deep in his palm. _What the hell am I doing?_ His hand was bleeding profusely and he ran into the bathroom.

"**_Get out!_**" A naked Maka shrieked, grabbing a towel to cover herself.

"I'm not looking, I'm not looking!" He held his hand under the faucet, pulling glass out of his hand and washing the blood away.

"Huh?" Maka leaned over his shoulder, holding the towel tightly around her.. "Why did you do that?"

"It was, um," Soul hesitated. _What do I say? She'll freak out if I tell her the truth. _"It was just an accident. Can you hand me the bandages, tiny tits? I'll take care of this and get out of here in just a second." She didn't even Maka-chop him for his remark. She fixed her towel so it would stay up on its own and made him sit on top of the toilet seat.

"Maka, I can take care of it. You don't have to-" he tried to pull his hand away from her.

"Shut up," she ordered. She pulled up a stool and sat down in front of him with his hand in her lap.

"Ow!" She dug into his palm with a pair of tweezers to dig out the deeper shards.

"Didn't I tell you to shut up?" She tossed the bloody tweezers into the sink and pulled a bottle of hydrogen peroxide from under the sink.

"I really don't need that, seriously, no, come on Maka, have a heart, agh, damn it!" She poured the burning, sizzling liquid into his cuts and held his hand tight until he wiggled away and shoved it back under the running water. She grabbed him again and wrapped up the wounds.

"There. You're all done," she stepped away and nodded for him to leave. "Don't do it again."

* * *

The witch cackled away in the darkness. Her snake had embedded itself inside of Soul and begun to take hold of his body. Soon she would have complete control of the young weapon. It was only a matter of time until her plans would become reality.

* * *

Maka sat in class the next day with Soul sleeping on one side of her, and Kid creating a perfectly symmetrical drawing of the DWMA on the other.

"I took notes for you while you were in the infirmary," Tsubaki said with a smile, handing her friend a paper for every lecture she'd missed.

"Thanks, Tsubaki," Maka exclaimed. "This is great!"

Stein rolled into the classroom on his stitched up spinning chair, digging his heels into the floor and coming to an unsteady stop in the middle of the room.

"Alright, class! Today we'll be, um," Stein trailed off, staring slack-jawed up into the rows of students.

_Why is he staring at me?_ Maka shifted uncomfortably. _Wait a second, he isn't staring at me... _She looked closer at Stein's eyes and followed his gaze. _He's staring at Soul!_

"We are, um.. We are," Stein stammered. "Class is canceled! Practice group soul resonance, dissect someone-er, i mean something. I don't know. I don't care. Don't kill anyone." He ran out of the classroom, abandoning his favorite chair.

Soul looked up with a yawn and noticed the students swarming out of the room. "I slept through the whole class. Nice!" Then he noticed Maka and Kid staring at him. "What?"

"Hey, Maka!" Kid changed the subject and asked nervously, "since class is canceled, we should go get some food or something. I mean, if you want to." Maka began to answer but didn't quite get the chance.

"Sounds great! I'm starving!" Black Star shouted.

"Yeah, we should all go," Tsubaki suggested. Maka agreed. A day out with her friends was just what she needed. They all walked into town together, with Kid dragging a few steps behind the rest of the group.

_I don't feel right,_ Soul thought. He stopped walking. He tried to catch up with his friends, but he just stood there.

"Soul?" Maka paused to look back at him. "Are you okay?"

"I-" His mouth clamped shut. _What is going on with me today?_

* * *

"Now," the witch commanded. "Make the young reaper bleed."

* * *

Soul crouched and kicked Kid's legs out from under him, then he grabbed the back of the reaper's head and drove his face into the stone. _No, stop! What am I doing? _

"Aghh!" Kid twisted out of Soul's grip and swung back, slamming his heel into the scythe's temple. Kid jumped back and spat blood onto the ground.

"Soul! What the hell are you doing?!" Maka screamed, hurling a book at his head. He caught it and easily tore it in two, tossing it aside. _I can't control myself. I can't stop!_

* * *

"Yes, I have complete control." The witch proclaimed. "Paint the streets with his blood!"

* * *

Soul's arm became the blade of his scythe and he lunged towards Kid.

"What are you doing, Soul?" Kid barely dodged the attack. "Stop this!" _I can't! Please, get away from me!_

"Medusa! I command you to leave this boy's body!" Stein charged out of a nearby alleyway, ducked under Soul's scythe arm and attacked directly with his soul wavelength, sending Soul flying across the street. _Damn, that hurt! _Soul tried to use Stein's attack to his advantage and regain control of his body, but Medusa's grip on him was too strong. He could only manage to release her hold on his voice for a moment.

"Maka! I can't control- **_agh!_**" He was silenced again, and his legs began pumping beneath him as he bolted away. Stein sprinted after him.

"Students, Kid, are you okay?" Miss Marie came running up to them. "What happened?" The students stared at her in a shocked silence.

"I don't understand what just happened," Maka said, her voice wavering.

"Soul is insane, that's what happened!" Liz yelled. "He just attacked Kid out of nowhere, like he was trying to kill him!" She turned on Maka. "Your partner is a crazy person, you know that? How could you not know that? You live with the guy, for crying out loud. Did you know about this?"

Maka stared back at her with wide, watering eyes. "I, no, I swear.."

"This doesn't have anything to do with Maka, Liz! Don't talk to her like that!" Kid stepped in front of Maka, defending her. Liz snorted and crossed her arms.

"Your nose is broken, idiot. You're asymmetrical."

Stein returned a minute later to find the bloodied Kid having a mental breakdown in the middle of the street. Miss Marie looked at him expectantly and he shook his head. "He got away. I don't know where either of them are."

"Professor Stein?" Maka asked quietly. "What's going on?"

"Medusa has somehow taken over Soul's body through indirect soul possession. She has complete control of him," Stein explained as he grabbed ahold of Kid's nose and cracked it back into place. He pulled Miss Marie aside to speak with her privately as Kid recovered. Miss Marie nodded and turned back to the students as Stein strode away.

"Maka, you can't go home until we get this figured out. Can you find somewhere else to stay?"

"You can stay at the Death Mansion," Kid offered, then spat out a bit more blood. "I mean, if you want to."


	5. Chapter 5

Stein, Spirit, and Lord Death were gathered in the Death Room. There was an unusually solemn air about them.

"Alright, Stein. What's going on? Is my Maka in danger?" Spirit demanded, panicked.

"When Soul came into class today, I could see that his soul was completely wrong. It was a mix of weapon and witch, a certain witch we know very well. I followed him after class, and when he struck out at Kid I finally understood what had happened. Unfortunately he got away before I could catch him," Stein explained. "Unfortunately Medusa has her soul protect on so I can't track her, and the piece of her soul that is tied to Soul Eater's is so minuscule that I can only detect it when he is in close range."

"I knew that boy was no good! And to think he's been living with my precious Maka!" Spirit dismayed, collapsing to the floor in a fit of anxiety. Death cooly and quickly chopped Spirit on the head.

"Now, now, Spirit," Death chastised. "It isn't really Soul doing this. Medusa is controlling him against his will. We can't hold him responsible for her actions. Stein, do we know what she is planning?"

"Not in the slightest. We are completely in the dark. I don't know why she would choose Soul of all students. With Maka he is very powerful, but he isn't an autonomous weapon. He is weak when he fights alone. All the same, I told Maka not to go home until we figure this out. I believe she is staying at the Death Mansion tonight."

* * *

"Here, Maka," Kid set a neatly folded pile of clothes on the chair in the guest bedroom. "These are Liz's. They should fit you well enough." Maka didn't even seem to register that he was there. She sat on the end of the bed, staring at her feet. Kid quietly left the room. He didn't know how to comfort her, and he hated that he didn't know how to comfort her. It was easy after she woke up from her coma, he knew how she felt then. But now? This was completely different. He had no idea what was going through her head.

He set up his easel in the main dining room, the most perfectly symmetrical room in the mansion, and began drawing. He had always loved to draw symmetrical faces, and now he was trying to draw Maka's.

_Why can't I get it right?_ He tore off another paper and threw it aside. Usually this was so easy. He rarely needed a second draft, much less a fifth.

"Kid," Liz poked her head into the room. "It's really late. You should go to bed soon, okay?" She often had to remind him to sleep, otherwise he could easily become preoccupied by his drawings and sit awake at the easel until the sun rose again. He nodded and waved Liz away. He had to get this right.

_Maybe I just need to get another look at Maka._ Kid hypothesized. _Yes, that should help._ He tiptoed back to the guest room where Maka was staying and knocked lightly.

"Come in," her voice came so quietly he could hardly hear it. He stepped inside to find her sitting in the exact same spot as before, only she wore Liz's pajamas and her own clothes were folded on top of the dresser. "What do you want?"

"I, um," _I can't tell her I'm trying to draw her, she'll be creeped out!_ "I just thought I would say goodnight before I went to bed. So, goodnight!" He moved back to the door.

"Kid," Maka breathed. He turned back to her.

"Yes?"

"Stay for a bit, will you?"

"Of course." Kid sat down next to her on the bed. He still didn't know what to say to her. She loosed a long, morose sigh and leaned on him, laying her head on his shoulder. Kid let his cheek rest on top of her head. He could only think about how warm her body felt next to his, and how perfectly her head fit into the curve of his neck.

"Kid?" Maka asked.

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry about today, about Soul."

"No, you don't need to be sorry," Kid told her. "Stein said Medusa is controlling him. I understand that though it was Soul's body attacking me, it wasn't really him."

"I don't understand it," Maka admitted, her chin quivering. "How could she possibly be back? What is she going to do to Soul?" Kid put an arm around her and pulled her a little bit closer.

"I know you're worried about your weapon, but he'll be alright. Stein and Miss Marie will make sure of it."

"You really think so?" Maka looked up at him. Kid nodded.

"Yeah. Soul is going to be fine."

* * *

Soul was far from fine. His soul was at war with Medusa's for control of his body.

"Stop fighting it, little scythe!" She laughed. "I'm stronger than you will ever be, especially without your meister here to wield you. Speaking of your meister, I'm afraid she's our next target. She's been troublesome since the beginning, and I won't have my plans spoiled by a child!"

"I won't let you hurt Maka!" Soul shouted from where he sat paralyzed in the corner. Medusa looked at him with disgust.

"Ugh, children are so loud." She flicked her wrist in his direction and his mouth was sealed again. "That's better." She crouched down in front of him, studying the fury in his eyes.

"Oh!" Medusa exclaimed happily. "I see!" She bounced away on one of her arrows, laughing delightedly. Soul struggled against his invisible bonds, but he couldn't even move the end of his pinky finger. "You love her! You love the girl!" She leaned over him with an evil grin. "You love your meister, and I'm going to make you bleed her like a pig!"

_No!_ Soul screamed in his head._ I won't hurt her! I won't hurt Maka!_

* * *

Maka and Kid had sat together late into the night. Eventually Maka's eyelids grew heavy and her body relaxed in his arms. He didn't want to leave now, not when he could hear the rhythm of her heartbeat, when he could smell the subtle lavender scent of her shampoo, and when he could feel her chest move with every breath she took. Finally Kid gave in to sleep as well, and they both fell back onto the bed, Maka still wrapped in Kid's arms with her head nestled against his neck, and their feet hanging off of the edge. It was only a couple of hours later that Liz came knocking to wake Maka up for school.

"Hey, Maka!" Liz banged on the door. "Time to get up... Maka?" Liz opened the door to check on the younger girl and was surprised to see a messy-haired Kid looking back at her. He slowly looked around the room, making sense of where he was. He looked at Maka, at himself, at Liz, and back at Maka.

"Oh!" He detangled his limbs from Maka's and rolled away, falling off the bed and onto the floor. He popped up and looked at Liz, Maka, and Liz again. Liz was doing the same thing, looking to Maka, Kid, and Maka again.

"Um.. School in an hour.." Liz said and slowly backed away from the room. Maka's eyes fluttered open and she saw Kid standing at her bedside.

"Kid?" She asked, sitting up and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She looked at his clearly slept-in clothes and at the indent on the bed next to her. "Do we need to talk about this?"

"I don't think so, we just fell asleep. I mean, nothing happened." He rubbed the back of his neck, avoiding her piercing green eyes.

"Oh, okay."

"School in an hour," Kid said as he walked out, shutting the door behind him. Maka set her hand on the warm spot where he'd been sleeping, wishing he was still there.


	6. Chapter 6

Stein caught Kid by the collar on his way out of class.

"Maka is not to be alone, at any time, for any reason. She is Medusa's target, and is in great danger so long as Soul remains under the witch's control. Do you understand?" The Professor whispered as he smiled at the other students walking by. Kid nodded and Stein released him. "Hurry up now, she's already halfway down the hall."

"Maka, wait up!" Kid called, running to catch up to her.

"Look, Kid, I really appreciate you giving me a place to stay last night but maybe I should just stay with Tsubaki tonight," Maka said. She spotted her friend nearby and shouted over to her. "Tsubaki? Can I stay with you tonight?"

"Sure, Maka!" Tsubaki jogged over to join them, with Black Star at her side. Kid gave her a poisonous glare that Maka couldn't see. "Or, maybe not. See, Black Star has this plan tonight and, um, oh, I have to go."

"Oh," Maka's shoulders slumped. She glanced over at Kid with a sigh. "I guess I'm sticking with you tonight, then." They met up with Liz and Patty on their way back to the Death Mansion for lunch. Kid and Liz cooked-arguing the entire time-while Patty sat at the table drawing giraffes.

"You have to stir it like _this_!" Kid told Liz, demonstrating his prefect stirring strategy to create a symmetrical pattern of movement in the pot.

"It doesn't matter how I stir, just don't look at the noodles if you have such an issue with it," Liz replied, rolling her eyes at him.

"We need a third opinion," Kid decided. "Maka!"

"Oh, yeah," Liz chuckled under her breath. "Call your girlfriend for help." Kid turned bright red. He'd nearly forgotten that Liz saw them this morning. He turned back to make sure Maka hadn't heard Liz's snide remark.

"Wait, where is she? Patty, did you see where Maka went?"

"She said she went home. She wanted to get some of her stuff. Hey, do you like this giraffe?"

"No," Kid paled and dashed out the door.

"Hey! Don't go running off like that! Ugh. Come on, Patty," the girls quickly followed after their meister.

"What a stupid little girl. She's making it so easy!" Medusa laughed. "Go on, Soul. Eliminate her." Soul rose from his seat on the floor and climbed out of the cellar. He fought every move she forced him to make, but his efforts seemed to be wasted.

"Stick to the alleys, little puppet. I can't have them find you quite yet."

He moved quickly through the shadows of Death City until he stood staring up at his bedroom window. A thin, blonde-haired figure stood there.

_Maka! Get out of there!_ He wanted to scream at her, but his jaw was like stone. He began scaling the wall, moving closer to her inch by inch. As he pulled his body over his windowsill, he stilled. Maka sat in the middle of his bed, clutching his pillow to her chest as her shoulders shook from sobbing.

_"What are you doing, puppet? Kill her!"_ Medusa's voice cam from inside his head, as if he were thinking it. His silent protests made no difference. He couldn't disobey her commands now. He couldn't even call out to Maka, he couldn't warn her of his silent approach. Why didn't she sense his soul? Why didn't she know he was there?

_"I can hear what you're thinking, puppet,"_ Medusa hissed inside his head. _"My soul protect covers you, as well. They cannot feel your presence so long as I control you."_

The _schink!_ of his arm transforming into the blade of a scythe caught Maka's attention.

"Soul?" Her eyes went wide as she realized that he was still possessed. "Soul! You have to fight it!" Maka screamed at him. He lunged at her and she leapt back off of the bed.

"Don't let her control you, Soul! You can fight it!" Maka shouted as she dodged his attacks.

_Damn it, Maka! Get the hell out of here! Quit jumping away from me and run!_

"Please, you have to- ah!" She wasn't fast enough, and his blade cut into her side. She fell back against the wall and he came for her again.

_I can't fight this, Maka! Please, please just run away!_ Soul had felt Maka's blood running hot down the length of his scythe from the first wound.

"Fight it, Soul! You're better than her!"

It hadn't even seemed like blood to him. It felt like hot water. But it smelled like salt and rust, and he could see the red soaking her shirt and he could hear the pain in her voice when she cried out.

"You're stronger than this, Soul!"

_I won't hurt her again!_

"Soul!" He stopped, his blade pressed against her heart. A small, but nervous smile appeared on her face.

"Run," Soul whispered, his voice strained. "Please!"

"I knew you were still in there," Maka smiled. "I know you can't come back to me right now, but I swear I'll still be here for you when you return. You're my weapon, and I'm your meister."

"Run!" He repeated. He couldn't hold Medusa back for much longer.

"I'll see you soon, Soul!" Maka promised. She wriggled away from his blade just as Medusa regained control and pushed Soul forwards. Maka clutched at the fresh wound on her chest and ran out with a renewed sense of urgency. She ran into Kid in the street outside of her apartment. He held his twin pistols with an expression she had never seen on his face before.

"Maka, are you hurt?" Kid asked.

"Not badly, but Soul," Kid didn't listen to the rest of what she had to say. He barged past her and into the building. He returned soon, his face like stone.

"He's gone. Come on, you look like you need stitches."

_"You stupid, stupid boy!" _Medusa was enraged by Soul's ability to usurp her control of his body. She had control now, and he stood perched on the edge of the roof of one of the tallest buildings in Death City. The ground seemed miles away. He leaned forward, his feet halfway off of the edge.

_"What good are you to me if you won't do as I say? No good at all. I have no use for you anymore, puppet. Jump!"_ He leapt forward, saved at the last second by a pair of strong, bony hands.

"Let's see now, is Medusa still in there?"

"Stein, you bastard!" Soul roared. Stein laughed as he dangled Soul over the street.

"I can't tell which one of you said that," the Professor said, amused. "Oh, I see it now. Your soul protect is quite powerful Medusa, but I feel your power in this boy. How long do you think you can control him? I've just been stitching up Maka, you see. She told me something very interesting. Soul has already defied you at least once. He is neither your puppet nor your slave. How long are you going to keep up this little show of yours?"

"We could have molded the new world together, Stein." Medusa spoke through Soul. "I wish you hadn't shied away from your true nature."

"Let the boy go, Medusa," Stein ordered. "Or I will purge your soul from his body."

_Wait a minute, that sounds painful!_ Soul thought. _Let's not make any rash decisions here!_

"The boy is my puppet!" Soul barked. _The hell I am!_

"Very well, Medusa. I see you've chosen to be purged." Professor Stein closed his eyes and took a long, slow breath. He adjusted his glasses and briefly apologized to Soul before sending a concentrated burst of his soul wavelength throughout the young scythe's body.

_Shit! I was right! This hurts!_ Soul would have screamed, if he were able. Moments later he could scream again, and he did.

"Stein, you bastard!" He screamed. The Professor pulled back his soul wavelength with a slightly twisted, satisfied grin.

"Good to see you again, Soul."


End file.
